Henry wanted Barboza — who has one of the deadliest leg kicks in the sport — to work out with UFC superstar Frankie Edgar as he prepared to defend his Lightweight Championship title against Benson Henderson.

“I was so impressed. I said, ‘That’s the place.’ I asked if I could [train] right there with them,” Barboza tells The Post, referring to Toms River native Edgar, Henry, jiu-jitsu instructor Ricardo Almeida and sparring partner Chris Liguori.

But there was one problem: “I am from Brazil,” says Barboza. “I like the summer. I like it hot all of the time.”

Most powerhouse MMA gyms are located in locales with temperate climates such as California, New Mexico and Florida. Blue-collar Toms River, however is cursed with fickle northeast weather.

The state assembly made MMA fighting legal this spring and when the UFC kicks off its first Big Apple fight night, three contenders from the Iron Army will be entering the octagon.

Edgar will take on Jeremy Stephens, Katlyn Chookagian is fighting Liz Carmouche at 135 pounds and Eddie Alvarez is the main event — squaring off against UFC badboy Conor McGregor. (The Iron Army’s Chris Weidman and Rafal “Sapo” Natal are also on the card.)

It’s an impressive feat for any team — especially one with such humble beginnings.

“The East Coast wasn’t necessary known in the past to be an MMA hot bed, but since we started churning out fighters, it’s changed,” says Edgar. Their notoriety began organically after Edgar, a married father of three, won the lightweight championship title in 2010.

Wannabe contenders began walking into the gyms where he trains, asking to work under his tutelage. And so the 5-foot-6 former college wrestler and his coaches built a program based off of his own grueling training schedule.

“Frankie is a machine,” says Mike Straka, a veteran MMA journalist. “He is in the gym working harder than anyone else. They all want to be like Frankie. People fly from Brazil to work out there. It’s an incredible story for these guys.”

The Iron Army doesn’t rely on braggadocio like some of UFC’s more outspoken stars. And they doesn’t subscribe to the same formula as the sport’s most high-profile gyms, like Jacksons in Albequerque, New Mexico; Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, California; or TriStar in Toronto.

The bigger gyms have every discipline and teacher under one roof. Edgar’s disciples, however, crisscross the Jersey Shore daily to hone their crafts with top-notch instructors at different gyms.

“We made up the system based on me. The schedule I made works for all of us. We’re not a one-stop-shop gym where you go and have every coach and training session under one roof,” says Edgar.

“Everybody here has that a–hole mentality where you are very honest. It rubs off. Frankie is the general and he leads the pack. But if Frankie isn’t here the next guy isn’t afraid to step up. If you’re doing something wrong, these guys will come up to your face and say you’re doing it wrong. I’ve never had anyone work with me like that.”

While Edgar is the undisputed leader in the octagon, the Iron Army has another commander outside of the gym: his father-in-law Jerry Nappi.

“Not a lot of people know about Jerry but he is the glue that keeps us together,” says Anderson.
Nappi’s two-story home in Toms River has served as a de facto dorm for the Iron Army’s out-of-town members.

In the last few years, the 65-year-old and his wife, Debbie, have generously housed at least 18 fighters, including Corey Anderson, Barboza and Morae (the latter two lived in Nappi’s basement apartment with their wives and kids), rent-free.

The semi retired businessman is a surrogate father, counselor and chauffeur. He consults on fighter’s contracts, takes them for sushi and drives them to fights or the airport in his mobile home. In between bouts, “Pops,” as he is known, throws Oktoberfests, holiday soirees and lobster boils for the fighters and their families.

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“It’s a reality show waiting to happen,” says Straka of the unusual arrangement. “People go to Thailand to train because they can live there for $30 a week and just train full time. You can’t do that in the US, but with Jerry opening up his house to people he doesn’t know, it’s so unique and so valuable to an up-and-coming fighter. It’s unheard of.”

Nappi’s hospitality has helped Anderson thrive. The 27-year-old packed up his car, drove from Illinois to the Garden State and knocked on Nappi’s door at 2 a.m. without a previous introduction.

“He opened the door and said, “Welcome to New Jersey. You’ve got a room in the attic.’ Papa Jerry. That’s the most generous man in the world. He’d give you the shirt off his back and not ask you for anything in return,” says Anderson.

Nappi, a Bensonhurst native, never had any interest in MMA until his son-in-law started fighting. And he has never had any trouble with the strangers — and sometimes their children — whom he boards.

“I have the house. I have the room. I do it out of the love of the sport,” says Nappi, adding, “It’s not a factory. It’s a personal touch.”

Before the spotlight shines upstate, Edgar and Co. will be flexing their Jersey muscles at “the world’s most famous arena” — a moment that is especially poignant to the local legend.

Frankie Edgar (left) exchanges punches with Jose Aldo.Getty Images

Edgar was one of the first fighters to travel to Albany in 2008 and lobby to make MMA legal in the Empire State.

“Every year, I would say, ‘This is the year,’ ” he says. But as the years ticked by, he worried the opportunity might pass him by. When the bill to legalize it was signed in April, Edgar was overjoyed.

“I’m happy that everyone gets to fight in our backyard. We’re not looking for attention, we’re looking for wins. If everyone on our team can hold a belt, that would be awesome.”

Edgar says the Iron Army will do a team prayer during their final sparring session and savor what he and his coaches have built.

“Just last week, Nick Catone put up posters and banners of all of our UFC guys. We all looked at it and said, ‘Wow, that’s impressive.’ It’s a camp of champs.”